(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a collapsing mechanism for umbrellas, and more particularly, to a stepless collapsing mechanism for umbrellas.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
A conventional umbrella includes a runner movably mounted to the shaft of the umbrella and multiple stretchers are pivotably connected between the runner and the gore. The user has to move the runner from the lower end of the shaft to the top of the shaft to expand the umbrella. In order to expand the stretchers quickly, an automatic device is developed and which includes a spring in the shaft so that when the umbrella is folded, the spring is in an extended status, and a control button located at the handle positions the spring. When the control button is pushed, the spring is disengaged from the hook that holds the spring in its extended status, and the spring force brings the runner upward along the shaft so that the stretchers are expanded.
However, when folding the umbrella, the user has to pull the runner downward along the shaft to allow the hook to hold the spring and this action requires a certain level of force to overcome the spring force. This is not convenient for some users who do not have too much muscle power. Besides, it happens often that the user's hand is wet and the runner slip away from the user's hand during pulling it downward, and the umbrella will suddenly opened and this may hurt the user or the people standing beside the user.
The present invention intends to provide a umbrella collapsing mechanism to improve the shortcomings of the conventional automatic umbrella.